10 Best Marilyn Manson Songs

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.comMarilyn Manson's best songs document a career that is unlike any other that came before him. Mixing a rock 'n' roll mentality with electronic elements and profound lyrics narrating the progression of society in real time, Manson has developed a polarizing identity as both a beloved hero and a reviled villain. Although Manson has experienced major highs and lows throughout his many years in the public eye, he now finds himself rejuvenated and nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award. To celebrate the career of the Antichrist Superstar, we've put together our list of the 10 Best Marilyn Manson Songs:

10

'Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes'

From: 'Celebrity Deathmatch Soundtrack' (1999)

The full-speed-ahead rock track 'Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes' was never actually included within any Marilyn Manson studio album. In fact, this track was exclusively released for the official soundtrack of the legendary claymation MTV series 'Celebrity Deathmatch.' Opening up the soundtrack, the song contains some sweet muddy shredding along with the captivating line, "Kill your god and kill your TV."

'The Nobodies'

From: 'Holy Wood' (2000)

After the Columbine school shooting of 1999, Marilyn Manson was one of many scapegoats targeted by a national media scrambling to make sense of the tragedy. After refusing to publicly speak of the incident as a protest against media sensationalism, Manson released 'The Nobodies' as the third single from his 2000 album, 'Holy Wood.' The song characterizes the Columbine shooters' rise from nobodies to household names, while taking a shot at the media with the line, "You should have seen the ratings that day."

'The Dope Show'

From: 'Mechanical Animals' (1998)

During the height of Manson's shocking persona, the sonic artist released 'The Dope Show' as the lead single for his 1998 album, 'Mechanical Animals.' The lurching track trudges through the subjects of American materialism, consumerism and the vast emptiness found within corporate control over creativity. In the legendary video for 'The Dope Show,' Manson appears as a sexless, soulless, manufactured product rather than a human being.

'No Reflection'

From: 'Born Villain' (2012)

After going through a self-confessed low point in his career, Marilyn Manson chose to reevaluate his identity as an artist by surrounding himself with nothingness so he'd be forced to create. The result was Manson's best album in over a decade, 'Born Villain.' The album's lead single, 'No Reflection,' is brilliantly claustrophobic and one of Manson's strongest tracks to date. The song has even been nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award.

'The Fight Song'

From: 'Holy Wood' (2000)

Although many of Marilyn Manson's greatest works pull the listener into an eerie and uncomfortable, yet beautiful realm ('Speed of Pain' / 'The Last Day on Earth'), the musician has created some true anthems throughout his career. 'The Fight Song' is easily one of Manson's most powerful anthems, showcasing a contagious power along with compelling lyrics such as, "I'm not a slave to a god that doesn't exist / And I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a s--t."

'Tourniquet'

From: 'Antichrist Superstar' (1996)

From the 'Antichrist Superstar' album, 'Tourniquet' begins with the reversed message, "This is my most vulnerable moment." Manson takes on the metaphorical role of a tourniquet, built on it's physically constricting yet life-saving qualities. Is Manson's message masochistic in nature? Do his lyrics address a relationship with substance abuse? Perhaps both … Perhaps neither. Either way, music is all about personal interpretation, and Manson gives his followers a lot to sink their teeth into with 'Tourniquet.'

'Disposable Teens'

From: 'Holy Wood' (2000)

With a simple but powerful guitar lead introducing the essential track, 'Disposable Teens' was the first single released by Manson in the new millennium. Having penned a multitude of songs inspired by the teenage years, 'Disposable Teens' is one of Manson's greatest lyrical accomplishments, evidenced by lines such as, "And I'm a black rainbow / And I'm an ape of god / I've got a face that's made for violence upon / And I'm a teen distortion / Survived abortion / A rebel from the waist down."

'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)'

From: 'Smells Like Children' (1995)

Few artists can take another band's signature track and create a brilliant cover with its own distinct identity. Eurythmics released 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' in 1983, selling more than one million copies of the single in the United States alone. Although the original song is widely known as a masterpiece, Marilyn Manson abducted the synth standard in 1995, stripping apart its pop dermis and filling the void with twisted darkness.

'Coma White'

From: 'Mechanical Animals' (1998)

There are few songs that dedicated Mansonites hold closer to their warm bodies than 'Coma White.' In the mind of Marilyn Manson, the color white represents a sense of "numbness" felt by the musician from both drug use and public scrutiny. The forefront version of 'Coma White' is found at the end of 'Mechanical Animals,' but there also exists a breathtaking acoustic version of the song, which is essential listening for both hardcore fans and those unfamiliar with Manson's music.

'The Beautiful People'

From: 'Antichrist Superstar' (1996)

The anthem of all Manson anthems, 'The Beautiful People,' comes in at No. 1 on our list. With a heavy drum presence, sinister chants and an unforgettable guitar line mixed in with Manson's hushed whisper of the song's reprise, 'The Beautiful People' challenges societal materialism, which Manson labels as "the culture of beauty." Instead of painstakingly weeding out all those he sings against, Manson takes a much simpler route heard in the lyrics, "There's no time to discriminate / Hate every motherf---er that's in your way."

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